Monday, May 26, 2014

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an update on its ongoing investigation into pet illnesses and deaths in animals that ate jerky pet treats. This update includes the latest information about complaints of illnesses, FDA’s collaboration with the CDC on a new case control study, and new findings revealed through the agency’s testing. Unfortunately, FDA has still not been able to identify a specific cause for the reported illnesses or deaths.

Case numbers: Since FDA’s last update on October 22, 2013, we have received approximately 1,800 additional case reports. As of May 1, 2014, we have received in total more than 4,800 complaints of illness in pets that ate chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, nearly all of which are imported from China. The reports involve more than 5,600 dogs, 24 cats, three people, and include more than 1,000 canine deaths. The breakdown of symptoms associated with the cases is similar to that of earlier reports: approximately 60 percent of the cases report gastrointestinal/liver disease, 30 percent kidney or urinary disease, with the remaining 10 percent of complaints including various other signs such as neurologic, dermatologic, and immunologic symptoms. About 15 percent of the kidney or urinary cases also tested positive for Fanconi syndrome, a rare kidney disease that has been associated with this investigation. FDA Report

Sammy getting to know Max

I check labels and buy products made in the USA, or I make my own. Most dogs love sweet potatoes. It is simple to slice sweet potatoes in a food processor, which slices nice and thin, lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet, pop them in a 200 degree oven for an hour-1 1/2 hours, then I leave them in the oven with the light on for 24 hours. They are nice and crunchy, and the dogs love them. One of our little dogs especially loves veggies, so I give her a baby carrots cut in strips so she won't choke on them. She sometimes gobbles treats instead of chewing.

My Writing Partners.

The little gobbler isn't possessed, she actually has pretty brown eyes. We got these little sweeties when our old dog started having more problems and we worried he wouldn't be around much longer. That was on Mother's day five years ago. The old timer turns at least 20 June 1st.

Trick or Deadly Treat, the tenth in the Fresh Baked Mystery series, is coning out October 7th, and has both dog and people treats.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Today at Prairie Rose Publications two new anthologies came out that I made covers for. I even have a story in one. Today I'm giving away e-copies of Lassoing a Bride and Lassoing a Groom to one person who comments chosen by Random.org.

Last winter I asked my partner, Cheryl Pierson what she thought about having an anthology about western weddings for early summer. I sent her a mock cover. We threw around titles until we came up with Lassoing a Bride. The mock cover was too modern. and we also decided we wanted a smaller more intimate anthology so each author would have room to have decent length stories. We knew we'd have more stories than we wanted to put in this one anthology, so we added Lassoing a Groom. I found the perfect image for Lassoing a Bride and the bonus was there were more of the couple so I could also use one for Lassoing a Groom. We put out a call for stories, and it was soon obvious we'd need another Lassoing anthology, and added Lassoing a Mail-Order Bride. Now the first two anthologies have been released.

LASSOING A BRIDE

Some brides are hard to get a rope on, for sure! But in these wild west romance tales, being married is like sugar and lots of spice—with a dash of pepper in the mix! Ain’t nothin’ tame about these brides, who have a delicious story of their own—each falling under the spell of a handsome devil she thought was out of her reach. Unanswered prayers, broken dreams and unexpected circumstances are sometimes the best way for a groom to get the gal he loves when he’s looking at Lassoing a Bride!

PRETTIEST LITTLE HORSE THIEF by Gail L. Jenner
Sometimes it’s the stolen and unexpected love that has the power to heal a broken heart

THE BANK ROBBER'S LAMENT by Sara Barnard
Smith found equal amounts of both anonymity and trouble in Gabriel's Settlement. But when he sets eyes on a beautiful woman and her young daughter who are being abused, might some other emotion be fated to bloom in that desert town of far west Texas?

THE BRIDE AND THE BADGE by Livia J. Washburn
Was Emily just bait for an outlaw trap—or did she mean more than that to the handsome Texas Ranger?(Note: I do love those Texas Rangers!)

LASSOING A GROOM

How is a woman supposed to catch a husband? In the wild, wild west, she’s got to find a way to Lasso a Groom! Some of them are lawmen…some are outlaws. Ranchers and homesteaders are fair game, as well—none of 'em safe from love’s lariat, or the women who finally manage to rope ’em in!
DON’T GO SNARING MY HEART by Jacquie RogersCan rancher Dex Madsen get past loner Betsy Lynch's goats and killer chicken to help save her mining claim and win her heart?

RACE TO MARRY by Kirsten Lynn
He’s in town to tame a man-killer. She’s accused of being one. When she proposes marriage the race is on.

CANYON CROSSING by Kristy McCaffrey
In search of her brother, Annabel Cross enters Grand Canyon. When U.S. Deputy Marshal Angus Docherty rescues her from a cliff side, her most guarded secret might save them.

THE PERFECT HOMESTEAD BRIDE by Linda Hubalek
Will a dangerous man from Gussie Hamner’s past sabotage the future she’s building with Noah Wilerson?

THE WORST OUTLAW IN THE WEST by Kathleen Rice Adams
An inept bank robber and a bossy spinster team up to rob an empty vault. What could go wrong?

Livia will be giving away a digital copy of MENDING FENCES to one lucky commenter today at the Prairie Rose Publication blog! Be sure to leave your contact information in your comment--it may be your lucky day! If you just can't wait to see if you won, here are the links where you can find MENDING FENCES in print and digital formats.Amazon Trade PaperbackAmazon KindleB&N NookSmashwords

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Livia J Washburn

About LJW

Under the names Livia J. Washburn and L.J. Washburn, Livia Reasoner has been writing award-winning, critically acclaimed mystery, western, romance, and historical novels for more than thirty years. She began to write in collaboration with her husband, author James Reasoner, and soon branched out into telling her own stories.

In addition to writing, Livia enjoys cooking and all aspects of publishing. She feels incredibly lucky that she's had a successful mystery baking series with NAL, and that as secretary of Western Fictioneers she's been able to publish at least 30 books in the last 3 years. A good day for her includes having time to create something new in the kitchen, on a story, and a great new cover.